10-member Cabinet team takes oath
Dehradun, March 20
Governor Margaret Alva today administered the oath of office to a 10-member ministerial team of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, two of whom are from parties extending support to the Congress and two are Independents.

Governor Margaret Alva and CM Vijay Bahuguna before the start of the Cabinet expansion ceremony in Dehradun on Tuesday.
A Tribune photograph

Border hill dists go unrepresented
Dehradun, March 20
The new Bahuguna Cabinet in Uttarakhand has come as a shock for border hill districts of Uttarakhand as they have gone totally unrepresented in the Cabinet despite giving overwhelming electoral verdict for Congress Party.

Mussoorie, March 20
CP Baloni, the elected vice-president of Landour Cantonment Board, along with present ward members registered opposition in the board meeting held at the Landour Cantonment premises for approving the repair work at the property known as Dahlia Bank owned by a business man from Mumbai today.

Landour cantonment officials remove encroachment in the Lakshman Puri area
in Mussoorie on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

Damaged sewage chamber poses threat
Mussoorie, March 20
The damage incurred to the newly constructed sewage chamber that has been left open without a lid on by the Peyjal Nigam at Motilal Nehru Marg is posing threat to the commuters and the school children.

Ministry of Sainik Welfare sought for Negi
Dehradun, March 21
The Uttarakhand Purv Sainik Avam Ardh Sainik Sangthan held a meeting of its central executive body where its members demanded the portfolio of Ministry of Sainik Welfare for Surender Singh
Negi, MLA from Kotdwar.

Diamond academy team win by 7 wickets
Dehradun, March 20
The Diamond Cricket Academy team won by 7 wickets against Vikasnagar B in a match in the 60th District Cricket League here today.
Electing to bat first after winning the toss, the Vikasnagar B team scored 125 runs losing all its wickets in the process.A batsman in action in a match during the 60th Dehradun District Cricket League Tournament in Dehradun on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

Nod to AG
Dehradun, March 20
At the first Cabinet meeting which was chaired by CM Vijay Bahuguna, the approvals were given for the presentation of vote-on-account and appointment of Advocate General of the state.

Dehradun, March 20
Governor Margaret Alva today administered the oath of office to a 10-member ministerial team of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, two of whom are from parties extending support to the Congress and two are Independents.

The swearing-in ceremony of the Council of Minister took place after more than an hour's delay. It is learnt that an Independent and Congress rebel Dinesh Dhanai had created a ruckus at the Bijapur Guest House for keeping him out of the Cabinet. Dinesh Dhanai, MLA from Tehri, had earlier courted controversy first declaring his intent to vacate his Tehri Assembly seat for Bahuguna and later backtracking from the statement. He had also failed to turn up for the filing of nomination of the Congress candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat yesterday. Among the four Independents that have extended the support to the Bahuguna government, only Harish Durgpal and Mantri Prasad Naithani have found a place in the 10-member Cabinet.

The first to be administered the oath of office was Dr Indira Hridyesh, who was the number two minister in the ND Tiwari Cabinet. She was followed by Yashpal Arya who is also Uttarakhand Congress chief, Surinder Singh Negi, Pritam Singh, Amrita Rawat, Dinesh Agarwal, Mantri Prasad Naithani,(Independent) Pritam Panwar (UKD), Harish Chandra Durgapal (Independent), Surinder Rakesh (BSP).

“In the coming days, we will fill all remaining posts and the Congress government is committed to giving good governance to the state,” said Bahuguna. At one level, the usual formula of balancing the ministry by giving equal representation to all districts of the state seems to be missing. Bahuguna was made to walk the tight rope due to the compulsion of the mandate. While the heavyweights Indira Hriydesh, Dinesh Agarwal, Pritam Singh and Yashpal Arya managed to find a place in the Cabinet, senior Congress leader Navprabhat and Rajender Bhandari and Govind Singh Kunjwal were not so lucky.

“Our hands are tied due to the compulsion of the coalition and keeping everybody happy will be a challenging task. We have come to power after five years. The expectation among the elected Congress MLAs is understandable,” said Yashpal Arya, a Cabinet Minister.

Interestingly, along with Independent MLA Dinesh Dhanai, Rajender Bhandari of the Congress too seemed miffed for being left out of the Cabinet. He was the Cabinet Minister in the BJP government, but prior to the 2012 elections he had joined the Congress. Significantly, the Cabinet comprises two women members, one member each from the SC (Yashpal Arya) and ST communities (Pritam Singh). However, member from the Muslim community could not find a place. Among the Congress leaders holding fort with senior leader Harish Rawat, Pradeep Tamta MP, Govind Singh Kunjwal and senior Congress Harak Singh Rawat were present on the occasion.

Dehradun, March 20
The new Bahuguna Cabinet in Uttarakhand has come as a shock for border hill districts of Uttarakhand as they have gone totally unrepresented in the Cabinet despite giving overwhelming electoral verdict for Congress Party.

There are a total of 12 Assembly seats in the border hill districts of Chamoli, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Bageshwar and another hill district of Rudraprayag. Congress has won 9 out of 12 Assembly constituencies that fall in these districts that encompass vast hilly areas of the Uttarkahand state.

Border district of Chamoli in Garhwal division has a total of 3 Assembly seats (Badrinath, Tharali and Karanprayag).

All of them went in favour of Congress. While Badrinath Assembly seat was won by Rajendra Bhandari, Tharali was won by Dr Jeet Ram and Anusuya Prasad Maimkhuri was victorious in Karanprayag constitutency. But the district has failed to get a Cabinet berth.

Another hill district of Rudraprayag has gone unrepresented in the Bahuguna Cabinet. Both 2 Assembly seats of this district went into Congress kitty. Harak Singh Rawat won from Rudraprayag and Shaila Rani Rawat won from Kedarnath constituency. While Harak Singh Rawat defeated senior BJP leader Matbar Singh Kandari, Shaila Rani Rawat defeated two-time sitting BJP MLA from Kedarnath Asha Nautiyal.

Similarly, border district of Pithoragarh in Kumaon too has 3 Assembly seats (Didihaat, Pithoragarh and Gangolihat Assembly constituencies). Congress has won 2 seats here. Narayanram Arya from Congress has won Gangolihat seat while Mayuk Singh of Congress has emerged winner in Pithoragarh Assembly seat. Mayuk beat BJP’s Prakash Pant. Only Didhaat seat in the district went to BJP where their party president
Bisan Singh Chufal was the winner.

In two Assembly seats in hill district of Champawat that shares borders with Nepal, Hemesh Karkwal of Congress won Champawat Assembly seat while the other Lohaghat seat went in favour of Puran Singh
from BJP.

In Bageshwar district too, Cong won in Kapkot constituency, a known bastion of BJP. Lalit Faraswan of Cong won in Kapkot whereas Chandan Ram Das of BJP won from Bageshwar Assembly seat.

Elected representatives of the Cantonment Board have a heated discussion with Army officers at the Landour Cantt Board meeting in Mussoorie on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

Mussoorie, March 20
CP Baloni, the elected vice-president of Landour Cantonment Board, along with present ward members registered opposition in the board meeting held at the Landour Cantonment premises for approving the repair work at the property known as Dahlia Bank owned by a business man from Mumbai today.

It is the same property that was rumoured to be owned by ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who is a close friend of the businessman from Mumbai, Sanjay Narang.

CP Baloni accused Sanjay Narang and others of carrying out illegal activity such as running a hotel without proper authorisation. Baloni also informed the media that saddest part was that Sanjay Narang, in the matter of carrying out construction activity on his property at Dahlia Bank, had filed a case in the civil division court (senior division) against the Landour Cantonment Board, which he lost.

After losing the case in the lower court Narang has again filed a case in the higher court but the officials, despite the case being sub-judice, have approved the repair of the tennis court in the property, which was against the law.

Baloni also alleged that on the one hand the Cantt officials were carrying out punitive action against the encroachment activity being carried out by poor residents, but on the other hand they were shielding the rich encroachers, such as Sanjay Narang in the Cantt area. Baloni accused that certain Army officials were hobnobbing with the rich and powerful persons in the Cantt area and allowing them to carry on illegal construction activity without any hindrance.

Baloni also alleged that the officials were not sending the cases of encroachment at the competent court due to ulterior reasons as a result of which, they went scot-free with only nominal fines in the Landour Cantt Board area. He demanded that such cases should be registered in the competent court so that the perpetrators can be punished dearly.

Baloni warned the officials that if they do not change their attitude and act in an unbiased way while dealing with encroachment and illegal construction activity in the Landour Cantt area, the elected representatives will be forced to launch a massive agitation in the near future.

The president of the Landour Cantt Board, Major General Ranvir Yadav(VSM), when questioned by the media on the issue of encroachment, said that the notices have been served to the encroachers under the under 240 and 340 of the Defence Act and the demolishing activity will be carried out after adhering to the laws of the land. He also said that no case about mutation or transfer of the title of the land was pending in the Cantonment Board.

Major General Ranvir Singh also informed the media that several development proposals were also approved in the board meeting held today. It was also decided in the meeting to develop an action plan to improve sanitation, tax collection and improve health services in the defence estate.

He also said that Landour Cantonment Board approved the work of indexing, scanning and digitisation of cantonment records in the board meeting held at the Landour Cantonment office in Mussoorie, today.
The issue of levying fee on the entry of commercial vehicles in the Cantonment Board was also discussed, in which it was proposed to charge around Rs 200 licence fee on the entry of commercial vehicles in the cantonment area here. The elected members opposing the move suggested that first the board should seek consent from the residents of the area and then levy such tax to avoid any controversy in the near future.

Later, General Ranvir Yadav Inspected the area under encroachment near Lakshman Puri and directed the officials to conduct a demolishing activity without any delay.

However, the subordinate officials to merely complete the formalities demolished a section of the house being built illegally and left out other areas under being encroached by unknown persons.

Ward member Kamal Sharma also lamented the fact that a sewage project was sanctioned in 2010 but no action has been taken as yet. She also informed that the officials assured her that the project will be initiated before 30th March. Speaking on the encroachment issue, she said that the officials should apply the law without any bias in the cantonment area.

Mussoorie, March 20
The damage incurred to the newly constructed sewage chamber that has been left open without a lid on by the Peyjal Nigam at Motilal Nehru Marg is posing threat to the commuters and the school children.

The residents of the area lamented the fact that the Peyjal Nigam, which was assigned the task of completing the sewage project in Mussoorie under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), was not concerned about the people who use the road.

The residents also said the school children were at a higher risk as most of them treaded that road to go to their schools.

They also said due to the absence of streetlights, there was an increased danger to life during night hours. They demanded rectification of the problem at the earliest.

Peyjal Nigam officials said they had closed the chamber with a lid but some miscreants had damaged it. They assured that the chamber would be repaired and lid would be placed over it without a delay.

The residents of the
town are fed up with the erratic work being carried out by the nigam.

An aged woman has already lost her life in
the town a few months back due to the callous approach of the department.

Dehradun, March 21
The Uttarakhand Purv Sainik Avam Ardh Sainik Sangthan held a meeting of its central executive body where its members demanded the portfolio of Ministry of Sainik Welfare for Surender Singh Negi, MLA from Kotdwar.

Central president Ganga Singh Rawat castigated the remarks of president of the State Women Commission Sushila Baluni in a TV interview in which she cursed the people of Kotdwar for voting against former Chief Minister BC Khanduri.

He said, “Baluni must apologise from the people of Kotdwar for her objectionable remarks. We congratulate the voters for choosing Surender Singh Negi over Khanduri. Negi, a people-friendly person, must be given the Ministry of Sainik Welfare besides other portfolios.”

He said their organisation would hold a camp for the welfare of ex-servicemen at Raiwala on
March 31.

He honoured the members of new executive committee of the Raiwala branch of the
organisation.

Dehradun, March 20
The Diamond Cricket Academy team won by 7 wickets against Vikasnagar B in a match in the 60th District Cricket League here today.
Electing to bat first after winning the toss, the Vikasnagar B team scored 125 runs losing all its wickets in the process.

Dehradun, March 20
At the first Cabinet meeting which was chaired by CM Vijay Bahuguna, the approvals were given for the presentation of vote-on-account and appointment of Advocate General of the state.

However, the issue of the appointment of the 71st nominated member from the Anglo-Indian community did not figure. The CM’s Office also announced the appointment of Furkan Ahmed, Congress MLA from Piran Kaliyar, as the CM’s political secretary.
— TNS